New Beginnings - Hulk #1

by Matt Puddy

Hulk is a character that I really enjoy. Over the years I’ve seen him as a slave and a gladiator, a leader and a tyrant, a hermit and an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. He’s been a part of Banner and yet on more than one occasion he’s been apart from Banner. In the most recent iteration, Indestructible Hulk, Banner managed to craft a deal with S.H.I.E.L.D. that enabled him to focus on being a scientist and create, invent and generally give back to society, whilst Hulk became a living weapon that S.H.I.E.L.D. could almost point and fire. Even throughout the recent Terrigen mist incident things were going fine, but the culmination of it all left even the Hulk physically drained and opened Banner up to attack. In the final issue Banner was shot twice in the head leaving the question, "Who Shot Bruce Banner?"

Mark Waid picks up straight where this left off, although not with the obvious route. Drafting in a top neurosurgeon under mysterious circumstances, Aaron Carpenter finds himself operating on and trying to save his former classmate. Through the course of the operation, we review in passing how the original accident with the gamma bomb happened. How the Hulk is seen as a threat by some and a saviour by others. But most importantly we see a shadowy meeting between suits posing as S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and a female figure who trained relentlessly to ensure the double tap to the head that she gave to Bruce was perfectly placed to ensure the correct outcome.

It’s only when they try to make an addition to Banner’s brain pan that things go wrong. Through a twist of fate, a woman who owes her life to big green is there to wake the Hulk. Frought with agony and pain, there is only really going to be one outcome in this scenario and smashing ensues. The finale of this first issue finds the real S.H.I.E.L.D. agents tracking down Bruce, but with one major issue. What once was one of the world's eight greatest minds is now less than a shadow of his former self.

As I mentioned before I’m a fan of the Hulk, so I was always going to pick up this title to read but as a result I may have got myself a little overeager and built this new beginning up a little too much. Mark Waid is a great writer and I’ve often enjoyed his work in the past, but this time I felt it spent too much time on the build up and maybe slid a little too much into cliché as well. The clandestine meeting, the shadowy figure, plus the fortuitous placement of a motivated “fan”. The one thing I did like is the cliffhanger problem, though will inevitably be solved somehow at the end.

Mark Bagley is another fantastic name to have on the title, Marvel have clearly put together a pair of powerhouses to make this title work. It is another vision of how the Hulk looks though, and there is always a favourite look that fans have. Personally I prefer the short-lived Marc Silvestri version, or Carlo Pagulayan’s imagery used in Planet Hulk, but that’s due to me liking the excessive nature whereas Bagley’s Hulk is a little more man-sized, albeit a very big man.

For the remainder of the book the images are full and detailed, easy to follow and pleasant to read. Jerome Opena’s cover artwork is really well worked and shows a variety of aspects in the Banner/Hulk dynamic, but yet again another version of Hulk.

Will I be following this title? Of course I will, and for anyone who was reading Indestructible Hulk it’s the natural next step. As part of Marvel Now it is also living up to its promise of investigating origins of main characters so even a new reader could easily pick up the loose history to Banner.

This title will tick a lot of boxes for a lot of people so it might be worth picking up, but if you’re going to then maybe take a look at what’s happened in the last 6 months to fill in a few gaps.

Matt Puddy has been waiting patiently for these articles to finally go up. Anyone would think the editor had been busy moving shop or something!

New Beginnings - Indestructible Hulk #1 (MARVEL NOW)

Another year, another Hulk relaunch. It seems that the Jade Giant just can't catch a break.

For over a decade both Marvel and readers alike knew that Bruce Banner and his alter ego were safe in the hands of Peter David. Sadly though, after that the character languished until Bruce Jones did some wonderful stuff in a run that was annoyingly cut short when Jones signed an exclusive contract with DC. Peter David returned for less than a year, leaving again due to his own high workload. Then came Greg Pak with Planet Hulk, possibly the finest Hulk story ever crafted - a science fiction opus with oppressive regimes, gladiatorial games and rebellions that owed a debt to Messrs Ridley Scott and George Lucas, yet was greater than the sum of its parts.

Unfortunately the subsequent World War Hulk was akin to watching students trying and failing to recapture the magic of an unexpectedly awesome house party. Even as a publishing event, Marvel branded it as a '"sorbet to cleanse your palate" rather than the hearty dining experience of Civil War. And then once again, Hulk and the good Doctor caught the yips, being sidelined by Jeph Loeb's Red Hulk nonsense.

I know Red Hulk was well received by many, but the publishing delays and the mystery behind his identity were badly handled. I'm still convinced the ultimate identity reveal was fudged and altered after internet speculation hit on the originally intended alter ego (*cough* Talbot *cough*). Seriously, his moustache disappears when Ross becomes the Hulk? WHAT? Red Hulk was a great idea from Mark Millar's original Civil War outline, that would have made a great self-contained story like Planet Hulk or Millar's own Old Man Logan, but Loeb and the powers-that-be at Marvel made it into a shambolic mess.

Soon after we ended up with both a (Red) Hulk comic and an Incredible Hulks comic, the latter featuring Banner and his half-alien son. I kid you not. It was frustrating. Iron Man may be my favourite Avenger, but Hulk is the close second and it's hard to see Bruce Banner treated so poorly when he's such a great analogy for young men struggling with their own rage, power and intelligence. A modern day Jekyll and Hyde, with a soupçon of something more.

Then came news of possible salvation in the shape of Jason Aaron and Marc Silvestri. Incredible Hulk relaunched last year under these two celebrated creators. I was excited.

It was crap.

The Hulk and Banner had been separated after the events of Fear Itself. Hulk was the reluctant hero. Banner was the monster - a mad man consumed with mad science. It was miles away from what made Hulk special; a terrible misstep by Jason Aaron (whose Thor God Of Thunder #1 released last week is a testament to how good he can be!). Even Silvestri left after five issues. The two subsequent story arcs ultimately put the toys back in the box - reuniting Banner and Hulk - albeit with a brief diversion to essentially rip-off the Crank movies. Badly.

So here we are, just over a year on and the Incredible Hulk has been cancelled and replaced by the Indestructible Hulk. The new writer Mark Waid is a man you can often trust to deliver a fresh take and some solid quality. He was the only writer other than Ed Brubaker to make the mainstream Captain America readable for me. Both Irredeemable and Incorruptible are a fantastic look at the superhero genre taken to an extreme, without resorting to hyper-violence and harsh language. Not to mention the seminal Kingdom Come and the acclaimed new run on Daredevil. And I'm relieved to say he's done it again.

This first issue of Indestructible Hulk is a masterclass in comic writing, as it both delivers an entertaining self-contained story, whilst also setting up the premise for this new run.

It's a short time after AvX and SHIELD has lost all trace of Banner/Hulk, much to the chagrin of Director Maria Hill. It turns out the man has been off thinking: weighing up his options, reflecting on his mistakes and consulting with his inner monster. In short, he's had a bit of a breakthrough. The Hulk isn't something he can cure, but it is something he can live with - managing the transformations - taking inspiration from the thousands of people who deal with diabetes or MS. With that, the world is his oyster once more. Rather than treating Hulk like a ticking bomb, he's a cannon to be aimed at a problem when the time comes.

So he's come to SHIELD for funding and support. When he's Banner, they get one of the brightest minds in the Marvel Universe, finally free of the self-imposed shackles of guilt and responsibility, ready to contribute and help - determined to leave a positive legacy like his peers. When he's the Hulk, he's a weapon - the strongest SHIELD agent they've ever had. He's even approached Hill on the day of a dangerous op, planning to save lives and audition for his new role in one grand swoop.

It's a bold new beginning and exactly what I've been waiting for. Leinil Yu's intricate pencils bring the whole thing to life and have a feel that reminds me of his lovely work on Secret Invasion (rather than his slightly underwhelming New Avengers art), though I'm reminded that Yu's art needs a good inker to give his fine lines some definition where appropriate. Thankfully he has one here, though I'm not sure whether that's down to Yu himself or colourist Sunny Cho. The colouring occasionally wanders off piste - most notable when Hill briefly looks like she's come down with a bad case of the Red Hulks - but for the most part it's a good effort.

So Hulk in comics seems to have followed a path similar to Hulk in film and TV adaptations. After a long running, much loved TV series, the Ang Lee film was a horrid travesty. And whilst the Ed Norton penned Incredible Hulk film was pretty good, it wasn't great, and it was no great shock when Marvel passed on a sequel to focus on other characters. Then came the Avengers, where Mark Ruffalo's Hulk was arguably the breakout star. Like Ruffalo's interpretation, Waid's Indestructible Hulk similarly feels like a fresh twist that somehow still embodies the heart of the classic character.

The Hulk has a bright future ahead I feel. If you also felt burnt by the promise of last year's Incredible Hulk, rest assured that Indestructible Hulk does deliver.

Ben Fardon eagerly awaits issue #2.

Why Should I Read... The Ultimates?

I hate Captain America. There, I said it.

I'm a lifetime comic nut and I have watched all the classic good guys and bad guys waging war through the eons with each other. But there's no villain, no matter how disturbed or vile, in fact no other character that I detest more than Captain America. I have never been one to enjoy the mainstream, let alone embrace the American dream. The idea of this star spangled moron running around in spandex being everything that Americans should stand for - and bleating about how much better things were a few years back - is just so stomach-churningly irritating. Anyone who's encountered me on this subject knows that my staple response to this insipid super soldier is that he's a whining pussy liberal. He's a throwback to the Golden Age of comics, when villains were laughable and the realism that draws us in and allows us to believe the unbelievable was just plain absent.

This is why I was never big on the Avengers. I didn't really get behind a lot of the headline heroes from yesteryears. After a few years without comics, I returned to the stores and steered clear of both the big universes, and went for the kind of the things I have written about in previous articles. So when my erstwhile comic retailer suggested the Ultimates (One and Two) for reading on a business trip, it's safe to say I baulked at the idea. Then he flipped to the page where Captain America is smashing some guy's face until he died. Oh, and he cracked a terrible joke about the French while he did it.

So I bought Ultimates One and Two.

The Ultimate universe is based on a wonderful comic staple; what if? Where events and individuals are changed to show alternate outcomes. Ultimates is actually one of the best examples of this I've read. The changes they make aren't drastic. Some of them aren't even significant - Nick Fury can be a grizzled old black guy who smokes cigars and is missing an eye, or a grizzled old white guy who is missing an eye and smokes cigars. It doesn't make a whole heap of difference, unless you're a casting agent.

What is wonderful about the Ultimates is that a lot of the stark truth (no pun intended) of stories you may have already come to know is brought to the forefront. The veneer of the Golden Age of comics is stripped away, and the very harsh reality of everything that's only been hinted at for our group of heroes is shown, often in a very intense way. I don't know if you realise this, but on discovering your have abilities beyond the norm, the regular response is not "Right, I need a spandex suit and a lawyer, I'm about to go assault people!" even if a guy who looks suspiciously like Samuel L. Jackson tells you it's OK. If a person decides to do that, even in the Marvel Universe, they better have either a damn good reason, or a damn good therapist.

Ultimates takes this premise and runs riot with it, highlighting all the issues that before may have only been approached tongue-in-cheek, or passed over entirely. Subjects such as addiction, depression and spousal abuse are covered, and although not the central focus, they are covered well. These aren't new premises for the as-was Avengers, but it could put off those readers who are loyal to the original team. It shouldn't, nothing is being dishonoured here, just remoulded for a modern age.

There are touches to the action, too. The Hulk is my favourite example. Back in the day, our big green wrecking machine threw things and punched stuff, but ultimately left with a body count no worse than an original A-Team episode. But stop and think for a moment. If a scientific accident causes a man to become a monster with no rational thought and immense strength, do you really think that there won't be a casualty or two? Ultimates doesn't. It's this conceptualisation which epitomises the Ultimates for me. I feel like I'm being told the adult version of the history I've learned as a child. This lack of propaganda appeals to me, in a way that the Avengers never did.

These articles aren't meant to be a review. There is enough of those. I want to persuade you to pick up the books, and enjoy them in the same way I have. The Ultimates is damned good reading, especially if you're familiar with the 'regular' Marvel Universe. This is apparent with the new range of movies, as much of the story and character backgrounds are from Ultimates - including this universe's S.H.I.E.L.D. and it's most famous agents. So ultimately, it comes down to this; how can Samuel L. Jackson be wrong?

Chris Boyle will warn you away from Ultimates 3. Yuck. Jeph Loeb, get out!

The Watcher - Marvel's Avengers Assemble

Dreams do indeed come true, over the last few years we’ve seen the threads of the Marvel universe come together and finally we see the culmination of all of the Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Most thought this ambitious task to be impossible, how could you make a movie with all these massive characters and their varied worlds and succeed? One man, Joss Whedon was assigned to orchestrate this very task and by Odin succeed he did! Every star has their moment to shine, all while making the best superhero action flick yet.

Loki returns and plans to rain destruction down on earth by using the Tesseract to allow an unknown alien force called the Chitauri to invade our planet. This obviously gains the attention of Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D - Fury decides that it is about time to bring together our heroes and find the troublesome demigod along with the Tesseract.

While on the awesome looking S.H.I.E.L.D Helicarrier the egos of our big heroes begin to clash as Loki gets under their skin. It takes one good man to bring them together as a team - all they needed was that little push. Once united they stand tall ready to defend Earth, the following battle with the Chitauri is immense. Each Avenger shows why they’re part of the team and how the down to earth characters like Black Widow, Hawkeye and Captain America can stand next to the more monumental Hulk, Thor and Iron Man and be their equals.

Joss manages to pulls strong performances out of all the cast members - he makes the characters and their motives believable. You will see that while they may be super-solders, intellectual giants, gods and raging green monsters, they’re all still like us at heart - not perfect.

Robert Downey Jr presents his usual swagger as Iron Man, Chris Evans is ever the honest leader as Captain America and Chris Hemsworth as Thor brings the Yin to Loki’s Yang. It's a shame his relationship with Jane Foster only briefly gets touched on. Tom Hiddleston’s Loki is a lot less of a brat this time around, he is much more full of evil and disdain, driven on by the ordeal of his exile from Asgard.

Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk is great - as Banner he’s bigger than what we’ve been used to but at the same time very quiet and vulnerable. Using motion capture on his face adds a lot more of an emotional element, making his initial transformation into the Hulk quite intense and rather scary.

Last but not least, the agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) both kick ass - a lot. Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson) seems to show more of his deceptive side but it’s all still for the greater good. As always, Agent Phil Coulson played by Clark Gregg is wonderful and has some great moments, he will forever be a favourite of mine. Finally, newcomer Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders)  doesn't have a lot to do after the opening sequence, but I have a feeling we’ll be seeing more of her in the future.

I struggled to find negative points to write about. I did see it in 3D and it didn’t add a lot but it didn’t feel intrusive ether. The few things that were niggling at me were the Chitauri being an army of faceless drones, ready to be beaten with little insight into their further motivations. Their massive battleships reminded me a little to much of the Transformers movies too. A couple of things were also left unexplained, like Thor’s hesitation to pick up his hammer - is this a worry about whether he is worthy? And was Loki’s staff affecting the emotions of our heroes, we’re just left to assume that this is the case. These are only really very small complaints and they don’t spoil the experience one bit.

During the earlier promotional interviews for the film, it was said that this would not be like Whedon’s usual work. This worried me due to the fact I loved most of his previous creations. Fear not! His trademark clever writing and wit is present in bucket loads, I laughed out loud and squealed with geek joy many times. He also directs the big blockbuster action sequences brilliantly, the movie feels big! It runs at two and half hours in length but never feels overly long, the editing keeps the pace up and gives the story chance to unfold nicely.

All that is left to say is assemble and enjoy the ride!

Stefan Harkins may go to see this movie again and again!

New Beginnings - Incredible Hulk #1

Harkanon, Haarg, Holku, The Green Scar, The World Breaker and The Eye of Rage. All names used to describe the alter ego and darker side of Bruce Banner, known as the Hulk. There have been many incarnations of him as well with the most recent being penned by Greg Pak. Now Jason Aaron, one of Marvel’s Architects, takes over the reins.

Over the course of time Hulk has become much more self aware and here we have Aaron taking a further step in that direction. The new start was advertised as "Ripped asunder!" and that is exactly what you are given from the very first page. Hulk and Banner now have their own personal space and inhabit their own separate bodies. This is not the first time this has been done, however it is the first that the Hulk has really decided to make a new life for himself.

Aaron’s writing is a mixed bag for me. Opening with narration is not unexpected for a first issue as this will pave the way for new readers. This fades through the issue as the story eventually takes over and you are given a “man” who appears to have found a semblance of peace and happiness interwoven with a great deal of wariness and almost apprehension. There is overwhelming foreboding sense that the peace Hulk had been searching won’t last. So close and yet still out of his reach.

If anything though it is a little formulaic. You can see where things are going well before they happen, but whether this is bad writing or simply the continuation or a well embedded theme would be for the individual to choose from. I fall more on the side of building on a common theme as I have liked the writing behind the issue. The comparison between this new release and also Planet Hulk is quite clear too. For new readers this is not an issue, likewise I feel for fans of Planet Hulk but anyone who has found the intellectual Hulk out of sorts for them, it won’t sit comfortably.

Banner’s portrayal is also something that has made me think. My favourite comment of all time came from Pak’s run where the question was posed that what if Hulk wasn’t the real monster but it was actually Banner. This has been amplified hugely, almost distorting the character culminating in the Marvel take on Dr Moreaux. Roles have certainly been reversed.

The issue has been pencilled by Marc Silvestri who is a favourite of mine for his work on Top Cow’s The Darkness amongst other titles. His style is totally evident as his gives huge amounts of detail but also manages to keep it almost rough cut. Hulk is rippling and imposing but instead of menacing has a clear look of thought and contemplation, but why the beard and straggly hair? The cover image (also by Silvestri) is more traditional and yet inside you still have the gamma-irradiated, wild man of Borneo look. A little confusing but I have a feeling it’s only temporary.

As a first issue I have not been overwhelmed by what I’ve seen but I am a fan so I haven’t disliked it either. This is a title that is definitely on my pull list but I am waiting for changes to come. Marc Silvestri is an uncertainty for me as he has a number of other projects. Frustratingly I can only see this new beginning and the hunt for Banner being short lived. New arcs will need to be designed, possibly still around two main protagonists. Even so, it’s a good easy beginning for those new to Hulk and a reasonable one for those who aren’t. We just have to see how it goes.

This week Matt has been trying hard to refrain from using phrases like “Matt SMASH!” and “Puny Humans!”

The Watcher Retrospective - Hulks on film

Marvel fans are in for exciting times at the movies. With two dazzling Iron Man films; the imminent release of Kenneth Brannagh's Thor; plus a steady stream of Captain America footage knocking our socks off - all the pieces of Marvel's ambitious plan for a shared screen universe are finally coming together.

'Nuff said? Well... let's spare a thought for the Hulk. His two big screen outings - the Eric Bana starring 'Hulk' (2003) and Ed Norton's reboot 'The Incredible Hulk' (2008) - although financially 'successful' are both seen as relative failures by fans, critics and even the studio. To add insult to injury, Hulk has now not only been recast once more, but is set for whipping boy duties, as it's rumoured that his above mentioned Marvel team mates are set to 'get medieval on his ass' in 2012's 'Avengers'.

Ironic then, that over thirty years ago, 'The Incredible Hulk' (1977) ruled television for five years, practically shaping the rules of the live action superhero genre alongside DC’s Superman (1979) and establishing the Hulk himself as an iconic character; who doesn’t remember that catchphrase, "Don’t make me angry, you wouldn't like me when I’m ANGRY!", or appreciate the haunting closing theme 'The Lonely Man' as genre music at its finest?

Watching the series now is something of a revelation. Eschewing the camp approach of the 1960s Batman, producer Kenneth Johnson made a virtue of perceived limitations. Unable to recreate the fantastic scope of the comics, the series is grounded in believable reality (wink, wink, Christopher Nolan), following David 'Bruce' Banner's lonely journey from town to town, barely one step ahead of the paparazzi. The combination of Bill Bixby's charismatic 'everyman' in Banner and Lou Ferringo's imposing yet heartfelt Hulk gel surprisingly well and with considerable pathos. Suspension of disbelief is definitely required, but it adds up to an altogether more real Hulk than Bana, Norton and their CGI alter egos.

That's not to say the 1970s vibe doesn't also deliver a few chuckles. The decision to have Banner's first 'Hulk Out' be the result of a flat tyre is wonderfully silly. Not to mention the frequent use of slow-mo, the Hulk's almost prescient proclivity for ripped jeans, and a format somewhere betwixt 'The A-Team' and 'The Littlest Hobo', all of which provide just the right balance of nostalgia, action and entertainment, while still showing a genuine respect for the character from all involved.

Tellingly, Norton's film paid frequent homage to Johnson's series, not only including that catchphrase, but hardware, stars, music cues, those chilling green eyes and even Ferringo as the voice of the Hulk. But somehow, Norton's over-earnest portrayal, the CGI Hulk's lack of genuine substance and perhaps most importantly, a complete lack of humour render this Hulk a little lifeless. Lets hope it's third time lucky for Marvel Studios.

So, far from the lesser son of the screen Marvel, Hulk is actually its trailblazer. Notably the TV Movies that followed the series pioneered both the now obligatory Stan Lee cameo, and with the inclusion of both Thor and Daredevil, also introduced the concept of the shared Marvel universe to a wider audience. Hulk's most important contribution of all is the proof that screen superheroes could be portrayed both with fun AND credibility, which considering the HUGE success of Marvel Movies in recent times, deserves kudos indeed.

Next time, Robert Barton-Ancliffe turns his attention to the God of Thunder